Run To Me
by itsonlyme
Summary: The RFR gang befriends the new girl at Roscoe High, Kayla Adams, who discovers their secret, joins RFR, and falls for Travis in the process. This story is RayLily, TravisKayla, and RobbieOne of Kayla's friends. Rated PG for later events and some occasio
1. The Devil Went Down To Georgia

RUN TO ME  
  
Summary: The gang befriends the new girl at Roscoe High, who discovers their secret and falls for Travis along the way. The new girl also joins RFR as their newest DJ.  
  
A/N: This is my first RFR fanfic. Please feel free to tell me what I should do better, or what I'm doing right, or what I should/shouldn't be doing. Flames are welcome, and even encouraged if you feel I deserve it. Also, the titles are mostly going to be song names, but they might not have anything to do with the chapter itself.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own RFR, or the song "The Devil Went Down To Georgia." The Charlie Daniels Band owns "The Devil Went Down To Georgia", and though I have no idea who owns RFR, it's definitely not me. The only things I own in this story are Kayla and her friends, and their radio station FACE.  
  
THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA  
  
The devil went down to Georgia  
  
He was looking for a soul to steal  
  
He was in a bind cause he was way behind  
  
And he was willing to make a deal  
  
When he came across this young man  
  
Sawing on a fiddle and playing it hot  
  
And the devil jumped up on a hickony stump  
  
And said, "Boy" let me tell you what  
  
I guess you didn't know it  
  
But I'm a fiddle player too  
  
And if you'd care to take a dare  
  
I'll make a bet with you  
  
Now you played pretty good fiddle, boy  
  
But give the devil his due  
  
I bet a fiddle of gold against your soul  
  
Cause I think I'm better than you  
  
The boy said "My name's Johnny  
  
And it might be a sin  
  
But I'll take you bet, your gonna regret  
  
Cause I'm the best that's ever been"  
  
Johnny raising up your bow  
  
And play your fiddle hard  
  
Cause hell's broke loose in Georgia  
  
And the devil deals the cards  
  
And if you win  
  
You get this shiny fiddle made of gold  
  
But if you lose, the devil gets your soul  
  
The devil opened up his case  
  
And he said "I'll start this show"  
  
And fire flew from his finger tips  
  
As he raised up his bow  
  
And he pulled the bow across the strings  
  
And it made a evil hiss  
  
Then a band of demons joined in  
  
And it sounded something like this  
  
When the devil finished Johnny said  
  
Well you're, pretty good old son  
  
But sit down in that chair right there  
  
And let me show you how it's done  
  
*Fire on the mountain, run boys run  
  
The devil's in the house of the rising sun  
  
Chicken in the break pan picking at dough  
  
Grandma does your dog bite no child no  
  
The devil bowed his head  
  
Because he knew that he'd been beat  
  
And he laid that golden fiddle  
  
On the ground at Johnny's feet  
  
Johnny said "Devil just come on back  
  
If you ever want to try again  
  
Cause I told you once, you son of bitch  
  
I'm the best that's ever been" he played  
  
"And that was the Charlie Daniels Band with their hit song 'The Devil Went Down To Georgia,' in honor of our very own Fuzzy, who is gracing us with her presence for one more FACE broadcast before moving away from her dear town," Jordan Rogers, a.k.a Confucius said into her microphone. "Since today is her last broadcast, we felt that she might want to give us a few little pieces of wisdom-or, as we call it, blatant insanity-before she leaves."  
Kayla Adams, a.k.a Fuzzy, laughed as she playfully punched her best friend in the arm. "You never used to think it was blatant insanity," she said, "But since you asked, I will leave you all-and our FACE listeners- with some parting words of wisdom."  
"Don't you mean blatant insanity?" asked Michelle Harrison, a.k.a Aqua, with a look of pure innocence on her face that made her twin sister Allyson, a.k.a Eek, snort into her microphone.  
"Whatever," Kayla said with a grin, "Anyways, first, to my best friend Confucius, I don't think I'm the devil, and I'm definitely not moving to Georgia, but that's beside the point. I want to thank you for starting this station with me, and for introducing me to the wonderful show that is Crank Yankers. I will be eternally grateful for that, and for the fact that it gave us many hours of entertainment and radio material. To Aqua, I will never forget the day we first met, when I was acting out a Monty Python sketch with Confucius and you said 'What the hell are you doing?' and we replied-" "Pining for the fjords," Michelle said with a grin. "And last, but not least," Kayla continued, "To Eek, whose name kinda speaks for herself, I will always remember the look on your face after we walked out of the Palace Theater after seeing 'Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring' and the fact that you said 'EEK! He's Hot!' when you saw Legolas for the first time, giving you your nickname, and giving the rest of us a chance to laugh our butts off." Allyson punched Kayla playfully on the arm and said, "It wasn't that funny."  
"Not that funny?" Jordan said, "Dude, having half the theater throw their popcorn at you after hearing you scream about how hot Legolas is was that funny and then some. Anyways, that's all the time we have for today, our last broadcast with Fuzzy, so if anyone else out there has a name that starts with an F that is not obnoxious or rude, and is interested in being a DJ, call us!"  
"You guys can continue without me," Kayla said, "Let me handle this. OK, all you FACE listeners out there in RadioLand, from now on, this station will be known as ACE, as in the bandage, 76.8 on your radio. This is Fuzzy, and I would like to apologize in advance for any sucky broadcasts my leaving might cause. I wish you all luck, and you never know, maybe I'll be back for a guest appearance some time! I'm Fuzzy!"  
"I'm Confucius!" said Jordan.  
"I'm Aqua!" said Michelle.  
"And I'm Eek." said Allyson.  
And for the last time, they all said "And you've been listening to FACE!" together before turning off their mikes, removing their headphones, and leaving the shed where they had their headquarters. Kayla turned for one last look at the studio, smiled, and left, shutting the lights off and closing the door.  
  
OK! This chapter was put in purely to provide backstory on Kayla. The next chapter will feature everyone's favorite RFR DJ's and add more of the main storyline. R&R! 


	2. Brand New Day

RUN TO ME  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Radio Free Roscoe or the song "Brand New Day." Sting owns the song "Brand New Day," and I still don't know who owns RFR, but it's still not me. And I still own Kayla and her friends.  
  
A/N: When you see a line like this: ~~~~~~~~ it means that the scene is switching within the setting or to another place if it is mentioned that they're going somewhere else. Just thought I'd let you know so you don't get confuzzled, as I like to say.  
  
BRAND NEW DAY  
  
"Well, here we are, another day in the painted prison," said Ray Brennon as he walked through the doors of Henry Roscoe High with his friends Robbie McGrath, Lily Randall, and Travis Strong. "It's not that bad Ray," Lily said, "At least, it's not that bad for me." "Yeah, but what about the rest of us?" Ray asked. Travis and Robbie shook their heads as the group reached their lockers, knowing that Ray was overreacting as always just to make Lily talk to him. As they opened their lockers and got their books out, they heard a sound that resembled the sound of books crashing to the floor, mean laughter, and a voice they knew all too well. They turned to see Kim Carlisle laughing and standing over a blonde girl about their age who was frantically trying to pick up her books and the contents of her backpack. "Next time, watch where you're going," Kim said in that annoyingly holier-than-thou voice she reserved for underclassmen as she kicked the girl's books and other stuff farther and farther away from her. "Just because you're a sophomore doesn't mean you're any better than the freshmen. Remember that," Kim said before walking away, laughing her head off and followed by a laughing group of seniors. "Geez," said Robbie as he and the others watched the girl attempt to pick up her stuff, "I knew Kim Carlisle was a bitch, but I didn't know she was that big of one." Travis nodded his head in agreement and said, "Let's go help her." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"Great, just great," Kayla Adams muttered as she attempted to pick her stuff up off of the floor, "My first day here and I run headfirst into the Roscoe High über-bitch. Just my luck." Kayla looked up and saw a group of kids about her age-3 guys and a girl-coming towards her and sighed, "Here we go again," as she began again to try and collect her things. "Looks like you could use some help," the girl in the group said. Kayla looked up, an incredulous look written on her face. "Don't worry," said the guy with the 'fro, "We're here to help." Kayla breathed out a sigh of relief and said, "Thanks. I was scared that you were the other half of the welcoming committee I just ran into." She resumed picking up the things that had fallen out of her backpack, helped out by the girl, the guy with the 'fro, and a guy with black hair and sideburns. When everything had been put back into her backpack, she zipped it up and said, "Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it. I'm Kayla, Kayla Adams." "I'm Lily Randall, and this is Ray Brennon and Robbie McGrath," said Lily, pointing to Ray, who saluted, and then to Robbie, who waved. "Nice to meet all of you," Kayla said, and then turned to look for her books. "Here," said a voice from behind her. Kayla turned and found herself staring at a blonde guy whose hair was spiked a little, and who was very cute. "I'm Travis," the cute blonde guy said, "Travis Strong. Here are your books." "I'm Kayla," Kayla said as she took her books from Travis, "and thanks." "So, I see from your books that you're in a few of my classes," Travis said, "Which means you're a sophomore. You'll most likely be in our homeroom, then." "Speaking of homeroom," Kayla said, "Where is it?" Robbie laughed and said, "C'mon, we'll show you," as he began to walk down the hall, followed by Ray and Lily. Travis said, "Well, welcome to Roscoe High," and led Kayla to their homeroom, all the while thinking, "She's really pretty. Wait a minute, what am I thinking? I've never thought that about a girl before, much less one I've only known for less than 5 minutes. Oh well, maybe fate is taking matters into it's own hands." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
A few hours later, Kayla was sitting in a chair listening to her CD player, waiting for her next class to start, when she saw, out of the corner of her eye, someone sit down in the chair next to her. She paused her CD, removed her headphones, and looked to see who it was. When she saw that it was Travis, her heart skipped a beat. "So, what are you listening to?" Travis asked, pointing to Kayla's CD player. "Sting," she answered, and then added "Actually, a Sting song on a mixed CD, to be more specific." "Nice choice," Travis said, and then asked, "Which song?" "Brand New Day," Kayla replied, "It's one of my favorites. It's a really good song." "Yeah, it is," Travis said, nodding his head in agreement, "Do you have any other Sting songs on there?" "Desert Rose," Kayla answered, "And that's it. You wanna listen?" she asked, taking her headphones off of her neck. "Sure," Travis answered, taking the headphones from Kayla and putting them on. "You want me to start the song over?" Kayla asked. Travis shook his head no, and Kayla pushed the play button, and it started where she had left off.  
  
"I'm the rhythm in your tune  
  
I'm the sun and you're the moon  
  
I'm a bat and you're the cave  
  
You're the beach and I'm the wave  
  
I'm the plow and you're the land  
  
You're the glove and I'm the hand  
  
I'm the train and you're the station  
  
I'm a flagpole to your nation - yeah  
  
Stand up all you lovers in the world  
  
Stand up and be counted every boy and every girl  
  
Stand up all you lovers in the world  
  
Starting up a brand new day  
  
I'm the present to your future  
  
You're the wound and I'm the suture  
  
You're the magnet to my pole  
  
I'm the devil in your soul  
  
You're the pupil I'm the teacher  
  
You're the church and I'm the preacher  
  
You're the flower I'm the rain  
  
You're the tunnel I'm the train  
  
Stand up all you lovers in the world  
  
Stand up and be counted every boy and every girl  
  
Stand up all you lovers in the world  
  
Starting up a brand new day  
  
You're the crop to my rotation  
  
You're the sum of my equation  
  
I'm the answer to your question  
  
If you follow my suggestion  
  
We can turn this ship around  
  
We'll go up instead of down  
  
You're the pan and I'm the handle  
  
You're the flame and I'm the candle  
  
Stand up all you lovers in the world  
  
Stand up and be counted every boy and every girl  
  
Stand up all you lovers in the world  
  
We're starting up a brand new day"  
  
When the song finished, Travis took off the headphones and handed them back to Kayla. "Thanks," he said, "I like that song a lot too." The bell rang, signaling that it was time to change classes, and Travis stood up and said, "So, where are you going this period?" Kayla stood up, put her CD player in her bag and said, "History, Doyle." "Same here," Travis said, "Wanna walk there with me?" Kayla smiled and said, "Sure." And with that, she turned and followed Travis down the hallway to their class.  
  
So, that was interesting. Here's a preview of next chapter: Title: Cherry Pie Summary: Basically, it's what happens at lunchtime, hence the title. There's another Kayla/Kim Carlisle incident, involving (you guessed it!) a piece of cherry pie. (This chapter has nothing to do with the song, but I warned you.) 


	3. Cherry Pie

RUN TO ME  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the song "Cherry Pie," and I still don't own RFR. The band Poison owns the song "Cherry Pie," and I still don't know who owns RFR. I'll have to find that out later. And I still own Kayla and her friends.  
  
CHERRY PIE  
  
"Slop's on!" said Ray, as him, Lily, Robbie, and Travis got into the lunchline, "Wonder what gunk the school's trying to pass off as food today?" Travis shrugged his shoulders, saw Kayla walking into the cafeteria, and waved her over to the line. Kayla stepped into line behind Travis and said, "So, do they serve actual slop or actual food here?" Travis laughed and said, "If you talk to the faculty, it's actual food. If you talk to the students, it's actual slop. It could go either way." Kayla smiled as she put the "slop of the day," as Ray called it, onto her tray and noticed that the dessert of the day was cherry pie. "So," Kayla asked Ray as she stopped in front of the dessert tray, "Are the desserts real?" Ray nodded his head and answered, "The only thing in here that's actual food. You can sit with us, by the way." Kayla nodded her thanks, took a piece of pie, paid for her lunch, and followed Travis and the others to their usual table. "So, who's the über- bitch I ran into this morning?" Kayla asked, taking a bite out of her pizza. "Kim Carlisle," Lily answered, "She's a senior, and she also runs Cougar Radio." "And in her spare time, she's a major bitch," Ray said, "She's the reason that I got 'mummified' with masking tape by the entire basketball team last year." Kayla laughed and said, "What'd you do to get that done?" "I told the truth about a basketball game our team played that really sucked, and they attacked me," Ray said with a shudder, "It was horrible. So many jocks, so much masking tape, no means of escape." Kayla laughed, but her laughter stopped almost immediately as she saw Kim Carlisle walking towards their table. As she walked past Kayla, she kicked her bag a few feet away and said, "Oops, my bad," and walked away, smirking. "I think I've lost my appetite," Kayla said, reaching down to retrieve her bag. As she sat up, she looked at her cherry pie and got an idea. Robbie looked at Kayla and said, "What are you thinking?" Kayla smiled and said, "I'm thinking that I'm gonna give Kim Carlisle a taste of cherry pie." She then looked at Ray and said, "You think she could use some milk too?" with an evil grin on her face. Ray immediately picked up on what Kayla meant, and said, "You know what? I think she could," with the same grin on his face. The two got up from the table, Kayla carrying her pie, and Ray carrying his milk. Robbie, Lily, and Travis looked at each other, and then got up to follow Kayla and Ray, feeling that this was going to be something worth seeing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"OK, so we're clear on what's gonna happen, right?" Kayla asked Ray. Ray nodded his head in agreement, and Kayla smiled and said, "Let's go." Kayla began to walk towards Kim's table as the others caught up with Ray. "What is she doing?" Travis asked. "Something that will make her go down in Roscoe High history," Ray said, "And I'm going down with her, so if you'll excuse me, it's time for Ray Brennon to help make Roscoe High history." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Kayla wanted to make sure this went off without a hitch, so as she neared Kim Carlisle's table, she made sure that she tripped in a spot that would cause her piece of pie to fly out of her hands and hit Kim. As she past Kim's table, she tripped herself, and the pie went flying into the air, and hit Kim Carlisle with a resounding SPLAT! Kim's eyes went wide with a mixture of horror and anger, and she stood up and screamed, "Look what you've done, you clumsy oaf! Look at my shirt! It's ruined! You're going to pay for this!" As Kim continued screaming, Kayla pretended to be "very very sorry" and "apologized" as best as she could without laughing her head off. While her "apology" continued, she turned for a napkin to "help Kim clean up" and gave Ray the signal. When she turned back to "help Kim," Ray walked past and did the same thing, this time throwing his milk right into Kim's face and on her shirt. This time Kim was really mad and screamed, "You two-you-you two did this on purpose! I know it! This couldn't be a fluke! This was a directly planned attack on me to try to embarrass me!" By now, a crowd had grown around the little scene, a crowd that included a wide-eyed Robbie, Lily, and Travis. The commotion got so loud that Principal Waller heard it and came over to see what was going on. What he saw surprised him. There was Kim Carlisle, covered in what appeared to be milk and the remnants of a piece of cherry pie, with Ray Brennon and the new student Kayla Adams standing in front of her, trying to help her clean herself up and apologizing for something. "What's going on here?" Principal Waller asked. "Those..two..miscreants intentionally tripped themselves and threw their food on me!" Kim screamed, pointing at Kayla and Ray, who gave Waller a couple of "we don't know what the heck she's talking about" looks. Waller turned to them and said, "Did you two do this on purpose?" Ray and Kayla shook their heads and Kayla said, "It was an accident, Principal Waller. I tripped on something, and when I was attempting to help Kim clean up, I must have stuck my foot out without knowing it, and Ray must have tripped over my foot." Waller studied the girl for a few moments, and then said, "Do you have any witnesses, other than Mr. Brennon's friends?" Kayla hesitated, and was about to tell him no, but then two boys who gave their names as Ed and Ted came forward and said, "We saw it, Principal Waller. She's telling the truth, it really was an accident." Then a few more students stepped closer and said the same thing, that it had been an unfortunate accident and that Ray and Kayla had not done it on purpose. Finally Principal Waller looked at the two students standing in front of him and said, "Just make sure you two are more careful next time," before walking out of the cafeteria with Kim screaming and following close behind him. Kayla gave Ray a high-five, thanked everyone who had helped her and Ray, and then they walked back to their table with Robbie, Lily, and Travis, getting high-fives and congratulations from everyone they passed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
As they sat down back at the table, Kayla and Ray noticed that Robbie and Lily had their mouths hanging open and that they were staring at them. "What?" Kayla asked, grinning and looking baffled at the same time, "You've never seen someone stand up to the school über-bitch before?" "No, it's not that," Robbie said, finally managing to speak, "I'm-I mean, we're just amazed that you were able to pull it off." "Yeah," Lily said, "And all those people, they-they-they lied for you and Ray, like it was no big deal. How did you do it?" "I really don't know," Kayla said, looking even more baffled, "I guess it was just a matter of everyone not liking Kim or something. I'm having a hard time believing it myself." Travis smiled and said, "I think it was a matter of everyone's collective hatred for Kim, a well thought-out plan, and very good timing on the part of the people executing the plan. I think Kim Carlisle may have underestimated you greatly this morning." Kayla smiled back and said, "You know what? I think she's thinking the same thing."  
  
Wow, bet you all never thought Ray had it in him, did you? Well, trust me, the story gets better. Here's a little preview of the next chapter.  
  
Title: Band on the Run Summary: Travis invites Kayla to hang out with the gang at Mickey's Discs after school before they do RFR. What they don't count on is Kayla following them to the station afterwards and having to chase after her. 


	4. Band On The Run

RUN TO ME  
  
Disclaimer: You know the drill, I don't own RFR, I don't know who owns it, but I own Kayla and her friends. Nor do I own the song "Band On The Run," an excellent song, which was written and is owned by Sir Paul McCartney.  
  
To Sparkles2: Thank you for your very honest comment. I am not mad at you, or upset at you at all. On the contrary, reviews like yours are exactly what I was looking for, as taking the good with the bad is part of being a writer. Another reason that I am not angry with you is because I understand where you are coming from, as I myself have often been in your position before. I am not positive that my story will surprise you, but if it does, then I know you may very well change your mind. I hope it does, and I hope you will keep reading and reviewing my story, because I hope that you will come to enjoy it. But answer me a question, please: I've read all the stories in the RFR category on this website from beginning to end, and I found no other story that includes the idea of the girl being a part of another underground radio station before she moved, so can you truthfully say that my story is the same as all the other stories that have the new girl falling in love with Travis?  
  
To Tru Faith: Thanks! I am now on the fourth chapter (this one) and the story is going to get better and better. Keep reading and reviewing, and also enjoying.  
  
BAND ON THE RUN  
  
"So Kayla," Travis said as he and Kayla walked out of school with Ray, Robbie, and Lily, "Do you want to go to Mickey's Discs with us for a bit? It has some really cool old records." "Sure," Kayla said, "I'd love to see a little more of the town." "OK Then!" Ray said, in the style of an old-fashioned knight, using his finger as a mock torch, "To Mickey's Discs!" Kayla, Travis, Robbie, and Lily all laughed and headed for Mickey's, shaking their heads and telling Ray that he was insane, comments that Ray answered with a sweeping bow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Once they reached Mickey's, the group guided Kayla to their usual booth and introduced her to Mickey, the owner, who told Travis that he thought she was "a really cool kid, like you guys." After they got settled in and had some drinks, Travis showed Kayla around the shop. "Wow," Kayla said as she looked around, "This place is awesome. There's so many records here that I've only dreamed of seeing." She stopped suddenly in front of a stack of records and said, "Oh my god." Travis stopped behind her and asked, "What? Did you find something?" "Did I ever!" Kayla said excitedly, "Look!" Kayla held up a faded record album, and Travis could just barely make out to words "The Beatles: Yesterday and Today" on the cover. "Nice choice," he said with a smile, "But why all the excitement?" "My dad had this album for the longest time," Kayla said, "But he lost it a few years ago. He'll be so happy if I got this for him, it was his favorite." Kayla took the album to the counter and paid for it, then told the others she was going to drop her stuff off at home and come back. The guys and Lily said bye, and Kayla walked out the door with her schoolbag and the record. Robbie looked at his watch and said, "We're gonna have to leave soon for you-know-what." The others nodded in agreement, and 15 minutes later, they walked out of Mickey's on their way to the warehouse where they had their RFR headquarters. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
As Kayla walked back to Mickey's, she saw her new friends leaving and said to herself, "I wonder where they're going?" Curiosity had gotten the better of her many times before, and this time was no different. She had made up her mind, and started to follow them. She followed them until she reached a beat-up old warehouse and watched them enter. "Now, what could they be doing in there?" Kayla wondered, and snuck up close to the window and peered inside. Inside she could see Robbie, Lily, and Ray sitting at a table, and Travis sitting behind a glass window in what looked like a control booth. "Wow," Kayla breathed, "It looks just like the FACE studio." Suddenly, she saw Travis flip a switch, and everyone started talking. Kayla then realized that she had found the secret headquarters of Radio Free Roscoe, and turned her pocket radio to 88.1 to hear what they were saying. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"I'm Question Mark and I'm wondering: How can you tell if someone likes you?" Robbie said into his microphone, "Take the new girl Kayla Adams. She obviously likes someone in Roscoe High, and I happen to know who that someone is, even if the object of her affection can't." "Who who?" asked Lily and Ray. "Yeah, who is it?" Travis asked. "Whoa, Pronto, Shady, Smog, slow down!" Robbie said, addressing the others as their alter egos, "You'll find out all in good time. Give me a moment to get this information together."  
Outside the studio, Kayla was listening on her radio, and as soon as she heard what Robbie was saying, she started praying "Please don't let him say anything, please don't let him say anything." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
2 hours had passed, and it was nearly the end of the day's broadcast, and Lily, Ray, Travis, and Kayla had been waiting to see what Robbie would do. The other DJs, inside the station, were waiting to find out who Kayla liked. Kayla, perched on the bench outside the station, was praying as hard as she could that Robbie kept his mouth shut and didn't say a thing. She looked into the station window, and saw what was unfolding inside as she listened on her radio. "Well, it's almost the end of the broadcast, and Shady Lane, Smog and I are waiting to hear what Question Mark promised he'd tell us," Ray said, "So Question Mark, is this real? Or are you trying to pull the wool over our eyes?" Robbie smiled and said, "No Pronto, this is true eyewitness information. What I'm about to tell you will shock and amaze you."  
"No, no, no, no!" Kayla said as she watched and listened, "Don't do it Robbie, please don't do it!"  
"I have information from one Robbie McGrath that Kayla Adams has a major crush on Travis Strong, and I mean major," Robbie said, pausing to watch the reactions of his fellow DJs, Travis in particular. Lily clapped her hand to her mouth; Ray's mouth dropped open, and Travis' face turned as red as a beet.  
"AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" Kayla screamed outside the studio. She turned to look into the window again to see the reactions, when she lost her balance and fell to the ground with a crash. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"What was that?" Robbie asked Lily, Travis, and Ray as they heard the crash. They had just ended their broadcast, and while Ray and Lily's reactions had worn off, Travis' face, while not beet red anymore, was still quite pink. "Let's go find out," Lily suggested, and they all headed toward the door. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Kayla had gotten up onto her knees when she saw the station door open. "Oh crap," she muttered as the door began to open. Kayla jumped to her feet and turned away from the door, but she wasn't fast enough. She turned around slowly, and saw Lily, Robbie, Ray, and Travis looking out from the doorway at her. Kayla did the only thing she could think of: she began to run as fast as she could. The guys and Lily looked at each other and nodded before taking off after her, calling her name over and over. "Kayla! Kayla!" they screamed as they chased her. Kayla turned to look back over her shoulder at them, and in a split-second decision, stopped at the edge of the woods and dropped her radio in the leaves before continuing to run on into the woods. "You guys go on after her," Robbie called to Ray and Travis, "Lily and I will stay here." Ray and Travis continued running after Kayla, and Robbie turned to Lily, who was staring at something in the leaves. "What is it?" he asked. Lily bent down and picked up the object, and in her hand, Robbie saw Kayla's radio. "She heard you," Lily said, "There's no other explanation. She followed us, and then started to listen to the broadcast when she realized what she had found. She must have fallen when she heard what you said. But I could have sworn that I heard a scream before the crash, which means she screamed, turned around to see our reactions and then-" "Lost her balance," Robbie said, looking at the radio, "I shouldn't have broadcast it, but it seemed funny at the time. Who knows what she'll do now?" "What do you mean?" Lily asked, confused. "What if she's so angry that she tells Waller or Kim Carlisle about us?" Robbie replied, "What if by an innocent prank, I've brought about the end of Radio Free Roscoe?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Kayla continued running through the woods, all the while getting more tired with every step, all the while hearing Travis and Ray's voices getting closer and closer to her. "They're catching up to me," Kayla thought, and turning her head, she could see them behind her, coming closer to her. She turned back around and used every last bit of strength she had to run through the last bit of woods and into the sunlight again. But then Kayla felt her foot catch a tree root, felt herself fall, heard herself scream, felt her body hit the ground hard for the second time that day, and heard Ray's voice say "She fell," to Travis as they came closer to her. Kayla forced herself to get up off of the ground, but when she attempted to run and swung he arms, she felt an unbearable pain in her left arm and dropped to her knees. By then there was no use running anymore, because Ray and Travis had caught up to her, but she once again stood up and forced herself, holding her injured arm close to her chest with her unhurt hand, to run a few more feet before she fell again onto her injured arm and screamed out in pain. Ray and Travis had caught up to her again by this time, and Travis was about to go to her when Ray put his arm out and said, "I'll get her," before jogging toward the girl, sitting on the ground, holding her arm and rocking back and forth in pain, and all Travis could do was watch as Ray attempted to help the girl who literally held the future of RFR in her hands. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Kayla had managed to pull herself into a sitting position, and was holding her arm when she heard footsteps coming closer to her. She looked up and saw Ray Brennon running toward her, and beyond him, Travis Strong, standing at the edge of the woods. Kayla closed her eyes and thought, "This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening." Then she heard Ray's voice in her ear, saying, "Kayla, are you ok?" She opened her eyes, shook her head, and said, "My arm, it-I think-I think it's-." before another wave of pain coursed through her arm. Ray held out his hand, and said, "Come on, I'll help you get back to the station." Kayla took his hand with her good arm, wincing as her injured arm fell to her side. When she was standing again, she held her injured arm close to her again and let Ray guide her to the edge of the forest where Travis stood waiting. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
When they reached Travis, Kayla's eyes closed again in pain, this time worse than the last. "Another one?" Ray asked her. Kayla nodded her head as Ray explained to Travis about her arm. Travis thought for a moment, then took off his jacket and made a sling around Kayla's arm, saying "This way, it'll stay in one place." Kayla nodded her thanks, but then sunk to her knees, holding her arm and trying not to scream, the pain in her arm written all over her face. "We'd better get her back to the station," Travis said as he and Ray helped Kayla to her feet. Ray nodded, and the three of them went back through the forest to where Lily and Robbie stood waiting for them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Robbie and Lily were starting to get worried. It had been almost 15 minutes since their friends had run off after Kayla, and they were just about to go into the woods to find them when they heard Travis saying "We're coming guys, we've got her." Robbie and Lily turned to see Ray and Travis on either side of Kayla, whose arm was wrapped in Travis' jacket and held close to her chest, and whose head was dropped down to her chest, hiding what appeared to be a very pained expression, coming up to them faster and faster. "Are you ok?" Robbie asked with genuine concern. Kayla lifted her head up and looked Robbie straight in the eye and said, "Is my radio ok?" Lily held up the radio in question, and Kayla smiled before wincing in pain again. "Let's get her to the station," Ray said again. "I think we should get her to the hospital," Travis said, "I think her arm's broken." "It sure looks that way," Lily said, now getting a closer look at Kayla's arm, "Travis is right, we should get her to the hospital." The others nodded in agreement, and they all walked to the hospital together, Kayla with her head resting on Travis' shoulder, too exhausted now to hold it up. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
They reached the hospital, and while the doctor was examining Kayla, Travis went outside and used his cell to call Kayla's mom and tell her what happened. 10 minutes later, Jessica Adams, leading a small girl by the hand, walked into the hospital waiting room to find 4 teenagers sitting on the chairs, one with his head in his hands. As she walked towards them, one of them saw her and got up to meet her. "I'm Travis Strong," he said, "I'm the one who called you." "Thank you for calling Travis," Mrs. Adams said, "I'm Kayla's mother and this is her little sister Shelby. What exactly happened?" As Travis explained what happened with Kayla, short of telling her mother about RFR, Shelby shouted "Kayla! Kayla!" and ran to her older sister, who had just come out of a room with a doctor following her. Kayla bent down and hugged her sister the best she could with one arm and said, "Hey Shelb. What are you doing here?" "Mommy said a boy called and that we had to come here to see you," her little sister replied. "Do you know which boy it was?" Kayla asked, and was shocked when her little sister pointed at Travis. Kayla's mother walked over to her and told her that the doctor said she could go home. Kayla nodded, sent Shelby over to her mom, and walked over to where Travis, Lily, Ray, and Robbie were standing and said; "I guess I'll see you guys later." Kayla then turned to Travis, whispered "Thanks," and left the hospital with her mother and little sister. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
As Kayla walked out of the hospital with her mom and Shelby, she heard her cell phone ring in her pocket. She fished it out and found a text message from Robbie saying: "We have to talk, all of us."  
  
Ok folks, no more updates tonight! I have to get up for school in 6 hours, so I'll leave you with a preview of what's coming up later today!  
  
Title: Low Summary: The gang goes to Kayla's house to talk to her about what she heard, but she refuses to see them because of what Robbie did. Travis resorts to desperate measures to make the meeting happen, something that includes a ladder and a window. Shades of Dawson's Creek here in this chapter. 


	5. Low

RUN TO ME  
  
Disclaimer: Same as always, you all know what I don't own and what I do. The song "Low" is owned by Kelly Clarkson.  
  
To RosieLady: Thanks! I'm glad you like the story and Kayla. About the anonymous reviews, that was a really great idea, and I intend to use it so more people can voice their opinions on my story. Keep reading, reviewing, and enjoying!  
  
To mistress of the universe: Thanks for the suggestions. I have tried many times on one of my other stories posted on this site ('Child Of The Whitelighter' in the Charmed section of TV Shows) to get the spacing right, but ff.net is very finicky-as you say-about the spacing and apparently has decided that spacing is not needed. But I will take your advice on the songs, but there will only be a few instances when the song is important. The one in the first chapter was just an interesting side note, but the few verses from "Brand New Day" were used as foreshadowing, but only if you really thought about it. But in the future, I will use your idea, because it is a really good one. I hope you keep reading, reviewing, and enjoying the story.  
  
A/N: If anyone has any ideas on what else I can have Kayla and the gang do to Kim Carlisle, or any ideas in general-excluding those about throwing people in the story or myself off a cliff-please feel free to email me personally at angelfire87_2006@yahoo.com  
  
LOW  
  
The next day, Robbie and the gang noticed that Kayla never showed up for school, and they soon found out that she had indeed broken her arm and would be out of school for a day or two due to the pain. But they also soon found out something that might have caused her to go home even if she was feeling better: it turned out that the entire school had tuned in to the RFR broadcast the day before, because people kept coming up to Travis and asking where his "girlfriend" was. "I can't believe it," Robbie said after what seemed like the 50th person had come up to them in the lunchline, said their piece, and left, "Kayla's gonna kill me when she comes back." "Kayla was ready to kill you yesterday, and I bet if she hadn't been in so much pain, she would have," Ray said, "She's not gonna forgive and forget easily for this one. You're in it deep, my friend." "I know, I know," Robbie said as the group sat down at their table in the cafeteria, "But do you really think I should be the one to talk to her? I mean, if I hadn't said what I said, she never would have run, and she never would have broken her arm." "I think I know who she'll listen to," Ray said slowly as him, Lily, and Robbie turned to look at Travis. "Oh no, not me," Travis said, putting his hands up defensively, "I can't." "Why?" Ray asked, clearly not understanding. "Don't you know the real reason she ran?" Travis asked his friends, who all shook their heads, "It wasn't just because of what Robbie said, it was because she didn't want to face me. I mean, would you want to face your crush right after they found out you liked them?" As he spoke, he gave Ray an all- knowing glance, as a reference to Ray's major crush on Lily, and how Ray had said he'd rather walk through the cafeteria naked than tell Lily the truth. "You know he's right, guys," Lily said, "Maybe we should all go over together, that might soften the blow, as my parents say." "So after school then," Robbie said, "We head over to Kayla's house and try to fix the mess I got us into." The group nodded, and they made their plans to go over to Kayla's that afternoon, after RFR, of course. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The RFR broadcast was almost done for the day, when Robbie said, "I'm Question Mark, and I'm wondering: How far is too far when it comes to telling someone's secret? I'm wondering this today, even after we already did this bit, because I would like to apologize to Kayla Adams for telling her secret on the air yesterday, and the entire crew here at Radio Free Roscoe wishes her a speedy recovery. That's all for today. Tune in tomorrow for more RFR." Travis shut the mikes off, and Robbie, Lily, and Ray took their headphones off and set them on the table in front of them. "I hope she heard that," Robbie said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Kayla Adams was sitting on her bed, in her room, watching her little sister Shelby play with her old Barbies, joining in from time to time when Shelby asked her to be "the Barbie's friend so she doesn't feel alone" and when Shelby asked her for advice on what Barbie should wear, when she heard a knock on the door and said, "Shelbs, look out the window and tell me who's out there, please." Shelby said, "OK," went over to the window, and looked out. She ran back to her sister's bed and flopped onto it saying, "It's the people from the hospital yesterday." The color drained from Kayla's face as she heard her sister's words, and her fears were confirmed when her mother entered the room and said, "Kayla, those kids from the hospital are here. They want to know if they can talk to you." Kayla shook her head and said, "Not right now, Mom." Shelby gave her sister a quizzical look and said innocently, "Is it because you like Travis?" Kayla blushed and said, "No, it isn't," and thought, "It's because of Robbie's low prank that he pulled yesterday." Mrs. Adams picked up on her eldest daughter's feeling and said, "Shelby, do you want to help me set the table?" Shelby nodded and ran downstairs. "Thanks Mom," Kayla said, "I owe you one." Mrs. Adams smiled and said, "Do you want me to bring your dinner up here?" Kayla nodded her head and her mother shut her door and went downstairs. Kayla waited until she was sure her mom had left, then got up and went to the window for some air. As she opened the window, she happened to look down and saw the guys and Lily still standing in front of her house. She also saw Travis look up at her window at the exact moment she looked down. Kayla gasped, pulled her head inside her room, and closed the window, her heart beating a mile a minute. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"Well, that went well," Ray said as he sat on the porch steps outside of Kayla's house. The group had just been told by Kayla's mother that Kayla didn't want any visitors at the time, but that she would tell Kayla that they had stopped by. Robbie and Lily were talking to Ray, and Travis was looking at the house. He was looking at an upstairs window that had a flat part of the roof next to it, when he saw the window open and Kayla poke her head outside. He didn't know she had seen him until she was looking right at him, and just as suddenly as she had appeared, she disappeared back into the room and shut the window. "You guys, I saw her," Travis said, still looking at the window. "Where?" Robbie, Ray and Lily asked. Travis pointed to the window where he had seen Kayla and said, "Up there. I think it's her room, and I think I have an idea." "What is it?" Robbie asked, curious. "Do you guys see a ladder anywhere?" Travis asked, as the gang began looking around the property. Suddenly Ray's eyes fell upon a ladder lying next to a shed and said, "Over there!" "Go get it," Travis directed, and when Ray brought the ladder over, Travis put it up against the side of the house, directly under Kayla's window and said, "Going up!" "How are we gonna manage this without falling?" Ray asked. Travis pointed to the flat stretch of roof and said, "See that part of the roof there, that flat part? We'll go up the ladder one at a time and sit on the roof, and the last person up the ladder will knock on the window. Seeing as she doesn't want to talk to me right now, and how she would probably send Robbie flying back down the ladder, I think Ray should do it." Ray nodded and said, "Ladies and Guys who aren't going to do the talking first!" Robbie climbed up the ladder first, followed by Lily, then Travis, and last but not least, Ray. Ray took a deep breath, and then knocked on Kayla's window. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Kayla was reading "The Outsiders," by S.E. Hinton, when she heard a knock on her window. She looked over at her window and saw Ray Brennon staring back at her. Kayla ran over to the window, opened it, and said; "Ray, are you nuts?" then shook her head and said, "On second thought, don't answer that. What are you doing out here, on a ladder?" "Well, we figured that if you wouldn't let us in through the door, we'd come in through the window!" Ray said brightly. "What do you mean, we?" Kayla asked, knowing full well what the answer would be. "Me, Lily, Robbie, and Travis. You know, the guy you." Ray said, but before he had the chance to finish, Kayla pulled him into her room and shut the window. "What the hell do you think you're doing, letting Robbie come here? He's really not on my Top 10 list of people I want to see today, and frankly, neither is Travis," Kayla said angrily, "I don't know what you think you'll accomplish by coming here, but I don't think you should stay." "See, Travis knew you wouldn't talk to him, and that you would probably send Robbie flying down the ladder, so they decided to use me," Ray said, "Lily didn't want to be a part of the initial ladder assault." Kayla grinned and said, "OK, you can stay. But where are the others?" Ray pointed at the window and said, "Look out the window and to the left."  
Kayla shook her head and went over to the window, opened it, and looked to the left of it to find Robbie McGrath, Travis Strong, and Lily Randall sitting on the flat roof. Kayla muttered, "I don't know why I'm going to do this, but." and then waved them over to her window and said, "Come in," before backing away from the window to let them in. "Thanks," Lily said as she climbed through the window, followed by Robbie and Travis, "It was starting to get cold out there." "Do your parents know you're here?" Kayla asked, and when the group nodded, said, "OK then. There are a couple of chairs in here if you all want to sit down," before closing the window. While Lily and Robbie joined Ray in looking around at the stuff on Kayla's wall, Kayla picked up a jacket hanging on one of her chairs and went over to Travis. She held out the jacket and said, "I think this belongs to you." Travis took his jacket and said, "Thanks," before sitting down on the chair where his jacket had been resting moments before. Kayla went back to her place on her bed, joined by Lily, while Robbie and Ray chose to sit in the two beanbag chairs near her TV. "Nice setup you've got here," Ray said, "I especially like these chairs. Very comfy." Kayla grinned and said, "You can thank Shelby for those. She decided they would be the perfect gift for 'big sissy's' 16th birthday. She's got good taste for a 3 year old. The rest of the stuff came from my relatives, except for the stuff on the bulletin board." Kayla looked wistfully at the bulletin board which held pictures of her and her old friends at various school events, and one of the 4 of them inside the FACE studio the day of their first broadcast. "Your friends?" Travis asked, pointing at a picture of Kayla, Jordan, Michelle, and Allyson at their Freshman Farewell dance the spring before. Kayla smiled and said, "Yeah, those are the county nutcases, myself included. We were at the last dance of the year, and the theme was 'Spring Break.' We were all wearing tank tops, shorts, leis, and grass skirts, and we looked so stupid and got so hyper on Mountain Dew that it wasn't even funny." The group laughed, and suddenly the door opened and Kayla's mom entered with a few trays of food, giving her daughter a quizzical look, as if to say, "it took them this long to figure out how to get in?" Kayla noticed her mom's expression and nodded, saying, "I changed my mind. I decided to have a few visitors, and since these guys were outside, I figured what the heck, might as well invite them in through the window!" "Well, it took them long enough to figure it out!" Mrs. Adams said with a laugh, "We had a house like this back in our old town, and Kayla would always sneak her friends in through her window. I didn't think it would take all of you this long to figure out how to get in. But since you're here, you might as well have some food. You guys are lucky to have snuck in on Taco Night. Here's all the stuff, and Shelby will be up in a few minutes with the toppings. Just be careful not to drop anything." "Yeah, because Mom's worried about mice," Kayla said, "She doesn't like them. Just ask my dad what she did when she found out about Pixie and Dixie." "Pixie and Dixie?" Robbie asked, "Like the cartoon?" Kayla laughed and said, "Yeah. It happened a few years ago, when Shelby was 1. Dad had been feeding them for weeks when Mom finally saw them. When I got home, Mom was up on a chair screaming for my dad to get them. Dad finally got them, but he brought them out while I was still in the room, and let's just say I don't really enjoy that kind of thing." The gang laughed, and Mrs. Adams smiled and said, "I'll send Shelby up with the rest of the food." "Are you sure she doesn't need any help?" Kayla asked. "Don't worry," Mrs. Adams replied, "If she needs any help, I'll do it. You kids just get back to whatever you were doing," she said, shutting the door behind her. "So," Ray said, turning his attention to the picture of Kayla and her friends in the FACE studios, "Where was this one taken?" "That was taken inside our radio station's headquarters," Kayla said, "We called it FACE, for our nicknames. We ran it kind of like you guys run RFR, we all had nicknames." "Dare I ask?" Ray said. "It stands for 'Fuzzy, Aqua, Confucius, and Eek'," Kayla replied, "I was Fuzzy, Michelle-the one in the red-was Aqua, Jordan-the one standing next to me on the left-was Confucius, and Allyson-the one standing between Jordan and Michelle-was Eek, and also Michelle's twin sister. I have a recording of our last broadcast with me, and a couple of the other broadcasts too. They gave them to me as a little going-away gift before I left." "So, you're telling us that you were part of a radio station like RFR before you came here?" Travis asked. Kayla nodded and said, "Best days of my life." Just then the group heard a small knock on Kayla's door and a small voice saying, "Kayla, I need help!" "That'll be Shelby with the toppings," Kayla said, getting up off her bed and opening the door, took some of the bowls from the tray her little sister carried and said, "Just to give you a hand, literally. You didn't spill anything in the hall, did you?" Shelby set the tray down and shook her head with glee and said, "Not a drop!" Kayla hugged her and said, "Good work Shelbs. You wanna stay up here with me and my friends?" Shelby said, "No, I'm going back downstairs. My boyfriend's coming over soon." "Boyfriend?" Kayla asked, giving the others a "just play along with her" look, "Who's your boyfriend?" "Billy from preschool," Shelby said shyly. "Well then," Kayla said, escorting Shelby to the door, "You'll want to go back downstairs and get ready for your date, Shelbs." Shelby nodded and went out the door, pausing to wave and say "Bye" to her sister's friends. "OK!" Kayla said, "Taco Time!" Everyone dived into the tacos, and after they at a few, Kayla slumped back on her bed and said, "I'm stuffed! I couldn't eat another taco if I tried!" The others nodded in agreement, and finally Robbie said, "We actually came here to ask you something pretty important concerning RFR." "If it's about me telling Kim Carlisle, you don't have to worry," Kayla said, "The day I tell Kim Carlisle anything important is the day Robbie stops broadcasting his Torpedo scores on RFR." "How did you know about that?" Robbie asked as the others laughed. "It's not important," Kayla said, winking at Ray, the reason she knew about the Torpedo incident, "OK, first off, I have to tell you that what you did was really low, Robbie, and that I was really hurt by the fact you chose my feelings for broadcast. But since you seem to feel bad about it, I'll forgive you. So, is there anything else that you want to ask me?" "Yeah," Robbie said, "How would you like to join RFR?" Kayla smiled and said, "I'd love to, but I can't use my FACE name, that would give it away." Travis looked at the bed, specifically at the book Kayla had left beside her and said, "How about Sodapop? Like in 'The Outsiders,' since you seem to like the book." Travis glanced at the movie posters for "St. Elmo's Fire," and "The Outsiders" that Kayla had on her walls and said slyly, "And also since that's who Rob Lowe played in the movie version." Kayla blushed, threw a pillow at Travis, and said, "Fine! You caught me!" Travis threw the pillow back at Kayla, who threw it at Ray, who ducked, leaving the pillow to hit Robbie square in the face. Robbie's expression changed from one of unawareness to one of shock, and the rest of the group laughed as he tried to figure out where it had come from. The rest of the time passed quickly, and soon they had to leave. They all climbed out the window and down the ladder, Travis last of all, pausing as he started to go down the ladder. "Kayla?" he whispered. Kayla turned back to the window and whispered, "What?" "You wanna go out with me sometime?" Travis asked. Kayla smiled and whispered, "I'd love to." Travis smiled as he climbed the rest of the way down the ladder, and as he reached the ground, he threw his jacket to Kayla and said, "You can give this back to me when we set a date." "For what?" Kayla asked. "For the wedding," Travis said sarcastically, "I mean our date." Kayla laughed and shook he head as she closed the window. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Travis looked up at the window and whispered, "Good night Kayla," before walking away from the house with his friends.  
  
That was a really long chapter. I don't know if I'll be able to write anymore after this! Just kidding! Here's a preview of the next chapter.  
  
Title: Take My Breath Away Summary: Travis and Kayla go on their date, and two things-one expected, the other unexpected-happen. 


	6. Take My Breath Away

RUN TO ME  
  
Disclaimer: You know the drill. I really don't think I have to say it by now. The song "Take My Breath Away" is owned by Berlin.  
  
To VegaTenshi: Thanks! I hope to get a few more chapters up before bedtime tonight. Keep reading, reviewing, and enjoying!  
  
To eyes of a child: Thank you! I have to say, I've always had trouble with run-on sentences actually, but I will try to do better. Thank you for your suggestion, and I hope you will keep reading, reviewing, and enjoying the story.  
  
TAKE MY BREATH AWAY  
  
The next night, Kayla was sitting at her vanity, brushing her hair with one hand, when her mother walked in and said, "He's here." Kayla looked at her mother and said, "I'll be down in a minute." Her mother nodded and left the room. Kayla looked at herself in the mirror and said nervously, "This is it," before standing up, opening her door, and walking downstairs. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Travis was sitting in Kayla's living room, watching Shelby try to read a book to one of her dolls and smiled when she said, "What have I told you about sitting still? I don't do that when Kayla reads to me!" Travis shook his head and looked up in time to see Kayla coming down the stairs wearing a pair of blue jeans, a pink peasant top, and flowered sandals. "Wow," said Travis as Kayla walked over to him, "You look great." "Thanks," Kayla said, blushing. She leaned over her little sister, who was still busy with her dolls, and said, "Try giving them candy, it always worked for Mom when I was younger." She stood up again and turned to Travis. "So," Travis said nervously, "Ready to go?" Kayla nodded and said, "Let's duck out before Mom decides to get pictures." Travis smiled and grabbed Kayla's good hand, and they ran out the door together. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"We've escaped!" Kayla cried with joy as she ran down her driveway with Travis. When they reached Travis' car, Kayla gasped and said, "A Mustang Convertible! Where the hell did you get the money for this?" "I got it for under $1,000," Travis said, "I had to do the restoration on my own, but it was worth it, the car runs like a dream. It's a '64." "Cool," Kayla said with a smile, "So, where are we going?" "Somewhere special," Travis said, "I think you'll really enjoy it." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"Travis, this isn't funny anymore," Kayla said with a laugh as Travis led her, his hands over her eyes, to somewhere she couldn't see for their date, "I can't see, and I think I'm going to fall." Travis grinned and said, "Only a few more steps." He led her a few more steps forward and, taking his hands away from her eyes, finally said, "We're here." Kayla opened her eyes and found herself standing in the gazebo by the lake in the park. She looked around and saw a blanket lying on the floor of the gazebo, and on it was a picnic basket and two candles. "It's beautiful," Kayla whispered. "Why are you whispering?" Travis asked jokingly. Kayla laughed and said, "Because I don't want to spoil the magic." "So, ready to eat?" Travis asked, holding out his hand to Kayla. Kayla took his hand, and he helped her sit down before sitting down across from her. He smiled as he lit the candles with some matches he had put in his pocket before he left his house that night. Travis looked at Kayla; her form bathed in candlelight, and said, "OK, now we can eat!" and reached into the picnic basket, pulling out a few plastic boxes of food, and some forks. "Here, a feast fit for a queen," Travis said jokingly. "Which part are you joking about, the feast, or the queen?" Kayla asked with a smile. "The feast," Travis said, staring into Kayla's eyes so she knew he was serious. Kayla blushed as she began to eat. "Is this for real?" she thought as she looked out at the lake, "I hope it is." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
They ate, and while they ate they talked, occasionally laughing. The laughter reached epic proportions when Travis pulled 2 slices of cherry pie out of the picnic basket and said, "To replace the one that gave its life in the battle against Kim Carlisle." Kayla was having the time of her life, and she hoped that Travis was having as much fun as she was. From the look on his face, he was, but looks can be deceiving. After they finally finished the pie and packed up the basket, Travis stood up, went over to the side of the gazebo, and pushed a button. Kayla gasped in amazement as the gazebo became softly lit with strings of lights. "When did you do this?" she asked Travis in amazement. "Right after school, before RFR," he replied as he walked over to her. He then took her hand and said, "Would you like to dance?" "I thought you'd never ask," Kayla said. Travis walked over to the left side of the gazebo and produced a CD player from under the bench. He pressed play, and Kayla's favorite song, "Take My Breath Away," by Berlin, came pouring from the speakers. Travis walked over to Kayla, and taking her hand, led her into the middle of the gazebo, and putting her arms around his neck and his arms around her waist, they began to dance their first dance together. Watching every motion in my foolish lover's game  
  
On this endless ocean finally lovers know no shame  
  
Turning and returning to some secret place inside  
  
Watching in slow motion as you turn around and say  
  
Take my breath away  
  
Take my breath away  
  
Watching I keep waiting still anticipating love  
  
Never hesitating to become the fated ones  
  
Turning and returning to some secret place to hide  
  
Watching in slow motion as you turn to me and say  
  
Take my breath away  
  
As they slowly danced, Kayla rested her head on Travis' shoulder and closed her eyes, this time not in pain, but feeling more blissful than she had ever felt before.  
  
Through the hourglass I saw you, in time you slipped away  
  
When the mirror crashed I called you, and turned to hear you say  
  
If only for today I am unafraid  
  
Take my breath away Take my breath away  
  
Travis could feel Kayla's heartbeat, beating in time with his own. "This is it," he thought, "We're together, and this is the perfect moment." He smiled and rested his head against the top of Kayla's.  
  
Watching every motion in this foolish lover's game  
  
Haunted by the notion somewhere there's a love in flames  
  
Turning and returning to some secret place inside  
  
Watching in slow motion as you turn to me and say  
  
Take my breath away  
  
My love, take my breath away  
  
When the dance ended, Travis and Kayla stood there for a moment in each other's arms, not wanting it to be over but knowing it had to be. Travis was the first one to speak. "I think we should go," he said quietly, "Your dad's liable to freak out if I don't have you home soon." "Yeah," Kayla whispered, "You better get me home."  
As they left the gazebo with the picnic basket, the sky opened and it began to rain. Kayla ran out into the rain and let it fall down on her. "What are you doing?" Travis said, not at all worried about the rain, just wondering what it was about the rain that made Kayla run to it that way. "When I was younger, I used to stand out in the rain whenever I had a bad day, and it always made me feel better," the now-soaked Kayla said, turning to face Travis, "But here I am, out in the rain after the best evening of my life, and I feel even more free than I do when I'm out here after a bad day." Travis smiled and said, "Well, come on. Maybe you'll be able to sneak out onto your roof later tonight." Kayla smiled at Travis and got into the car. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
It was still raining when they reached Kayla's house. Travis stopped the car, and he walked her to the door, and by the time they reached the porch, they were both soaked to the skin. Travis looked into Kayla's eyes and said, "This was the best night of my life." "Me too," Kayla said, "I've never had so much fun in my life." Then, in what seemed like slow motion, Kayla watched Travis lean in close to her face. She lifted her head up, and their lips met in the most perfect kiss they could have experienced. Kayla wished she could stay in the moment forever, but she knew she had to go inside, so she broke away first and said, "I better get inside. Bye." "Bye," said Travis, now as breathless as Kayla as he watched Kayla go inside. Suddenly he heard a window open and he looked up to see Kayla looking out of her window at him. Travis smiled and waved, and Kayla waved back, then went inside and shut the window. Travis walked back to his car, and as he drove away, the radio played a song which now had a whole new meaning to Travis.  
  
"Turning and returning to some secret place inside  
  
Watching in slow motion as you turn to me and say  
  
Take my breath away  
  
My love, take my breath away."  
  
awwwwwwwwww. (tear) That was so sweet! Bet you can't wait for the next chapter!  
  
Title: Call Me Summary: Travis and Kayla call their best friends to tell them what happened. 


	7. Call Me

RUN TO ME  
  
Disclaimer: By know, you all should know this, so I really don't need to put this up anymore, do I? "Call Me" is owned by Blondie.  
  
To RosieLady: Glad I could bring back some good memories for you. Anyways, this story has miles to go before it ends, or at least more chapters. Keep reading, reviewing, and enjoying!  
  
To Confucius: (yes folks, there is a real Confucius, and this was her, and who the character is somewhat based on) ( Just felt I needed to clear that up. ;) Anyways, thanks for reviewing the story, even if you did it just because you were bored, it is still appreciated my friend. Also, a little boredom cure: Drink some Mountain Dew and watch "Phone Booth" for a while, it'll definitely cure your boredom.  
  
To VegaTenshi: Thanks! Hope you keep reading, reviewing, and enjoying!  
  
A/N: I would like to apologize for turning Travis into such a romantic, even though I know he doesn't really act like that on RFR, but have you ever seen him on a date before? I mean, you never know.  
  
CALL ME  
  
Kayla looked out her window and watched Travis drive away before doing the first thing that came to her mind: picking up the phone and calling her best friend. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Jordan Rogers was watching "Top Gun" and gazing longingly at Tom Cruise when her phone rang.  
"Hello?"  
"Confucius, Confucius, this is Fuzzy, do you read me? I repeat, this is Fuzzy, do you read me?" said the voice on the other end. Jordan squealed happily. It was her best friend Kayla Adams, who moved to Roscoe a few days ago.  
"I copy you Fuzzy," Jordan said with glee, "So what's up?"  
"Nothing much. Well, I went on a date tonight with-in my opinion-one of the hottest guys in Henry Roscoe High, but other than that, nothing."  
"You went out on a DATE? And you didn't call me in advance? Kayla, you're losing it!"  
"Only a little," Kayla replied, "And I didn't think you'd want to know anything until after the date."  
"You obviously don't know me as well as you think. So, details, on the guy and on the date. First off, what's his name?"  
"Travis Strong."  
"Oooooh! His name even sounds hot! OK, next question, what does he look like?"  
"I refuse to continue this conversation without my attorney present."  
"Well, since you're talking to me, I count as being present, so spill."  
"Very funny Jordan, extremely hilarious," Kayla said sarcastically, "But since you asked nicely, I'll tell you. He's about 2 inches taller than I am, brown eyes, blonde hair that kinda spikes up at the top..."  
"Like David Boreanaz?"  
"Exactly. Anyways, he also drives a fully restored '64 Mustang!"  
"Is it a convertible?"  
"Yep! Candy apple red and white interior, it's my dream car all over!"  
"He sounds like the perfect guy, Kayla. I think you've got it right this time."  
"I think I have. And on top of it all, he's a great kisser."  
"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Kayla laughed as her friend banged off a list of things that she should do the next time her and Travis went out. She had been on the phone with Jordan for over an hour, talking and catching up. Suddenly, she looked at the clock and said, "Jor, I have to go. I have to pass out from excitement."  
"I understand completely," her friend said, "But answer me this one last question."  
"Shoot."  
"Does this perfect guy have a perfectly single friend?"  
"Still looking for a Clark, Jor-El?"  
"It's been a while since anyone called me that," Jordan said wistfully, "Since you left, everything's changed. Michelle, Allyson, and I have been trying to carry on the radio station-with moderate success-and no one's called me Jor-El since you moved. I have to watch 'Smallville' if I want to hear that name."  
"Well, Jordan Elizabeth, seeing as I'm the one who originated that nickname, and since it's only been a few days since I left, maybe they think it's too soon. But if you call Michelle and Allyson and tell them that I'm giving them permission to call you that again, maybe they will."  
"You're right, you're always right. Anyways, you didn't answer my question, does he have any single friends?"  
Kayla thought for a moment and then said, "Yeah, he does. Robbie McGrath. You two would be perfect for each other. I'll introduce you when you come for a visit, OK?"  
"OK! There, now was that so hard?"  
"No. Listen, I gotta go now. I'll talk to you later, OK?"  
"OK. This is Confucius, signing off!"  
Kayla laughed and said, "Bye Jor," before hanging up. Miles away, in a small Vermont town, Jordan hung her phone and screamed, "YES!!!!! Oooooh! Tom Cruise is back on!" before going back to watching "Top Gun." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
At the exact moment that Kayla was telling Jordan the details of the date, Travis was dialing Robbie's number and waiting for him to pick up.  
"Hello?"  
"Robbie?"  
"Yeah, it's me. Wait a minute, Travis, why are you calling me? What happened? Did something go wrong with the lighting? The music? The date in general?"  
"No, nothing went wrong. That's the thing. I had a great time with her, and I like her a lot, but I know what's happened before, and I don't want the same thing to happen again."  
Robbie sighed angrily and said, "Travis Strong, you are the biggest idiot on the face of the earth."  
"What the hell was that for Robbie?" Travis asked, surprised.  
"I know you have a terminal fear of rejection, but if you let her go, you'll be making the biggest mistake of your life. She likes you Travis, really likes you. Why else did she ask questions instead of running for the hills when you started talking about obscure Japanese horror films today at lunch?"  
Travis thought about that, and also about how Kayla had asked him to explain entomology to her, since she claimed that she wanted to learn more about it, and said, "You're right. I'd be an idiot if I let this chance go. Hey, thanks. Before I go, when are we going to put Kayla on the air?"  
"Tomorrow," Robbie said, "Will you call her and give her the heads up?"  
"Sure," Travis said, "Talk to you tomorrow."  
"Bye," Robbie said, and they hung up the phone at the same time. Travis sat at his desk for a bit, then picked up a small piece of paper and began to dial the numbers on it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Kayla was surprised when her phone rang again, and even more surprised at who answered her when she said, "Hello?"  
"Hey Kayla."  
"Travis, what's up?"  
"Robbie wanted me to call and tell you that you go on air with us tomorrow. And, I also wanted to ask you something."  
Kayla drew in a sharp breath and said, "What is it?"  
Travis took a deep breath and said, "I was wondering if you'd like to go out again sometime." To Travis, it seemed like eternity before Kayla answered, but when she finally did, her answer made him one of the happiest guys in Roscoe:  
"Yes, Travis. I'd love to go out with you again."  
  
Hope you all liked this chapter! As always, a little preview of next chapter for you.  
  
Title: On The Radio Summary: Kayla joins the gang for her first ever RFR broadcast, and it gets really interesting when a call from a surprise listener/listeners threatens to expose Kayla and the others as the DJ's of RFR. 


	8. On The Radio

RUN TO ME  
  
Disclaimer: Same old song, different tune. Only putting up a disclaimer due to overwhelming desire to not be sued. "On The Radio" is owned by Nelly Furtado.  
  
A/N: I realize that the above title is not the complete song title, but the complete title does not apply to RFR. And I apologize for the long time between updates. School was being evil and giving me lots of work, but I'm sure everyone knows that about school.  
  
To Tara: Thanks! I'm glad this story is getting appreciative reviews. Keep reading, reviewing, and enjoying!  
  
To Infinity86: Thanks for your review. I read your story too, and I really like your ideas. And I will try to be more careful with the song lyrics. For instance, there are no song lyrics in this chapter. And I agree with what reload said too. I will try to do better.  
  
To eyes of a child: Thanks for the review. I have received a review calling the date an 'adorable piece of fluff' and I have to agree, but I will try to refrain from too much fluffiness in the future. And I would've updated sooner, but like I said above, school and teachers decided to be evil these last few weeks.  
  
To Anna: Wow, talk about weird coincidences. My name's Ana also, but as you can see, spelled differently. I like the Lily/Ray fics too, but I felt it was time for Travis to get someone. And in response to your question, 16/f/PA  
  
To reload: Darn, you caught me. In my defense, it's only a little crush, and I have a boyfriend already. Thank you for your honest opinion and willingness to help. I appreciate it. Yes, I understand that Robbie was not very much in character, and I understand what you're saying, but they did mention Lily's full name in the episode "Political in Pink," the one where Lily runs for class president. But if it will help my story, I will try to keep from doing that. Yes! Yes! I am not the only one sick of Lily/Travis stuff! There will be more Lily/Ray action, but I am sorry to say that you might have to wait for the next chapter for it, unless I get a sudden burst of inspiration. But never fear, it will be there! I have tried every possible thing to fix the spacing. I will try to give the characters' dialogue separate lines, and I will try putting a space in between paragraphs. I understand about where you're coming from with the date being OOC, but since Travis has never gone out on a date on the show, we don't know what he would do. However, now that I look at it again, it does seem a little inappropriately placed. Once again, thank you for your honest opinion, and I would appreciate it if you kept reviewing, and if there's something you don't like/want me to change, I will do my best.  
  
ON THE RADIO  
  
The next day, after school, Kayla made her way to the RFR warehouse with Travis and Robbie.  
"Where are Ray and Lily?" Kayla asked, looking around for her other two friends.  
"I don't know," Robbie said, shrugging his shoulders as they reached the warehouse, "Maybe they're already here."  
"It's quite possible," Travis said, "In fact, I'll bet they're inside waiting for us."  
Robbie and Kayla nodded as Robbie opened the door. Kayla poked her head in, then quickly pulled it out and motioned for Robbie and Travis.  
"What's going on in there?" Travis asked.  
"I think Ray's gonna tell Lily that he likes her," Kayla said, "It sure sounds like he is."  
"Finally!" Robbie said, "It sure took him long enough."  
"He just needed to gather enough courage to tell her his true feelings," Travis said wisely as always.  
"Yeah, what he said!" Kayla said, "Now let's listen! I wanna hear what's going on!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"So, Lily," Ray was saying, "I wanted to tell you something that I've been wanting to tell you for a long time."  
The two of them were sitting on the couch inside the RFR warehouse. Outside, Kayla, Robbie, and Travis were trying to hear what was going on.  
"What is it?" Lily asked curiously, wanting to know why one of her best friends was being so weird.  
"Well," Ray gulped, tripping over the words, "I've wanted to tell you this for a long time, and I think I can now."  
"Fine then," Lily said, "Tell me."  
"Lily," Ray began, swallowing hard. Outside, Kayla and the others were silently chanting, "Tell her! Tell her!" as they watched their friend finally tell Lily the truth.  
"Lily," Ray began again, but Lily cut him off, saying, "Just tell me what you want to tell me, Ray. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not that hard to say."  
"If you only knew," Ray thought, then said, "Lily, I like you. A lot. That's why I tried to sabotage your date with Lee Johns. That's why I gave you the frog, to replace Jumpy, and before you ask what a dead frog has to do with love, it apparently got stunned when you shook the box. Robbie saw the frog after you left, and it was alive, you can ask him. That's why I wanted to walk you to that guitar lesson, why I said anyone would be lucky to have you, why I gave you the flicorice, why I've been acting so weird around you. It's all because I like you Lily." As he finished speaking, he watched Lily's expression go slowly from one of patient waiting to one of great shock, and finally to one of understanding and comprehension. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Outside Robbie and Travis were celebrating with Kayla, high-fiving each other and smiling. Kayla looked in the door again and said, "Guys, she's gonna say something!" at which time the celebrating stopped and they all began to eavesdrop again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Lily sat silent for a long time, processing what Ray told her. It all made sense, every word of it. The sabotage, the frog, even the "best of both worlds" flicorice, all of it made sense. It was all Ray's way of telling her how he felt, and she-whether intentionally or unintentionally- never picked up on it.  
"Wow," Lily said slowly, "Ray, I never knew."  
"Well, naturally," Ray said nervously, "You really never knew until today."  
"I know that," Lily said, trying to phrase her response as delicately as possible, "And there's something I want to tell you too."  
"What?" Ray said, holding his breath and waiting for what he was sure was going to be a cold rejection.  
"Wonder what she's going to say?" Robbie asked Travis and Kayla, who shrugged their shoulders and turned back to watch what was going on inside.  
"So, what's the big news Lily?" Ray asked.  
Lily took a deep breath and said, "I like you too Ray."  
"What?" Ray said in disbelief. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"What?" Robbie, Kayla, and Travis said. Apparently they said it a little too loud, because a few minutes later, Ray and Lily came out yelling at them about eavesdropping and privacy, but it didn't matter, because the yellers were happy that the yellees knew. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"5......4....3....2."  
"This is Radio."  
"Free."  
"Roscoe."  
"I'm Question Mark, and I'd like to start out today's show by introducing our newest DJ, Sodapop. Welcome to RFR Soda, we're glad to have you." Robbie said, by way of introduction.  
"Thank you Question Mark, glad to be a part of the famous RFR, or, if you're Principal Waller or a certain Cougar Radio DJ, infamous RFR," Kayla said.  
"So Sodapop, how's Ponyboy doing?" Ray asked, earning a punch in the right arm from Lily and a punch in the left arm from Kayla.  
"Stall the 'Outsiders' jokes for now Pronto," Travis said, "We've still got to do the show."  
"Smog makes an excellent point," Robbie said, "While we get Pronto off his 'Outsiders' kick, here's a song by the Ataris." Travis flipped the switch to turn off the microphones, and they all removed their headphones. Kayla sat back in her chair and began to hum the tune of the song, "The Boys Of Summer," eliciting grins from Robbie, Lily, and Travis, and weird looks from Ray, looks that earned him another punch from Lily.  
When the song ended, the gang put their headphones back on and went on with the show.  
"So, we're gonna take some calls from people on the outside," Ray said, "Tell us what you think of our new addition." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"Well, Ed and Ted, I'm flattered that you like me as an addition, but I'm spoken for," Kayla said with a grin.  
"Darn," said the boys, "Well, thanks for the honest response." With that they hung up.  
"That was rather upsetting Soda," Travis said, "Why'd you turn them down?"  
"I told you-and them-already Smog," Kayla said, "I'm spoken for."  
"If you say so," Ray said, "Then that's good enough for us. Anyone else want to comment on our new DJ?"  
Travis held up the chalkboard, and Kayla smiled when she saw the names on it: 'Aqua, Confucius, and Eek'  
"Hi all, what's you're comment?" Kayla asked with a grin.  
"Hi, this is Confucius, one of the DJs of ACE 76.8, and on behalf of our station, we'd like to congratulate you on joining RFR."  
"Yeah, we're really proud of you Ka-" Kayla heard Michelle say, and began to panic. But Jordan came through and cut Michelle off, saying, "Aqua's just saying, 'We're really proud of you, ok?' We just say OK that way. Well, gotta go, hope you have a good run!"  
"So, with that comment in mind," Kayla said, "here's an old song by the Plastic Ono Band."  
Travis flipped another switch, and the sounds of "Give Peace a Chance" flowed through the studio. Kayla picked up her cell phone and dialed a number. The others watched as Kayla-obviously on the phone with Michelle-yelled things about blowing their cover and other things before forgiving her and making her promise never to do it again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
When the broadcast ended for the day, The RFR gang gave Kayla high- fives and pats on the back.  
"Congratulations Sodapop," Robbie said, "Welcome to RFR."  
  
That's all for tonight! Gotta get off computer before mom comes down to yell at me! More tomorrow! 


	9. More To Life

RUN TO ME  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter 8. The song "More To Life" is owned by Stacey Orrico.  
  
To reload: Thanks again for the review. Glad you like the Lily/Ray bit. Like I said, it would be included if I had a burst of inspiration, and I did. Had to have Ed and Ted, wouldn't have been a broadcast without them. I think I can explain some of the mistakes that I made, though. The reason Jordan and the others knew Kayla had joined RFR was that Kayla called her back after she got off the phone with Travis. I forgot to put that in Chapter 7, whoops! I have no idea how far down the radio stations go, so I'm gonna say that ACE is an AM station, because I know they go a bit below 88.0, I just don't know how far below that is. Now that you mention it, the eavesdropping update was unnecessary, but at least I now know that I spelled 'eavesdrop' right! Seriously, to me, flames don't exist, unless the review in question happens to be really snotty and rude. Then it's a whole 'nother ballgame. Keep on reading, reviewing, and enjoying!  
  
MORE TO LIFE  
  
Kayla walked home that night after RFR feeling like she was on air, and thinking that life couldn't get any better than it already was.  
"You're in a good mood tonight," Mrs. Adams, who was putting cookies into a cookie jar, said as Kayla literally waltzed into the kitchen, dropping her backpack by the kitchen island that served as a table in the middle of the kitchen and hopping up onto one of the chairs.  
"Yep," Kayla said, grabbing a cookie out of the cookie jar and beginning to eat it before her mother could stop her, "Today was great."  
"I suppose you were out with your friends then?"  
"Yeah."  
"What did you guys do?"  
Kayla hesitated. If she told her mother about RFR, she'd be betraying the other DJs. If she didn't, she'd be lying to her mother.  
Mrs. Adams looked at her daughter and instantly recognized the look on her face. "Another radio station, eh?"  
Kayla dropped her cookie on the table and jumped about 3 feet out of her chair, or so it seemed. "How did you know?"  
Her mother laughed. "You used to make the same face whenever you were out with your friends back home, working on the radio station there." Noticing the panic that had now appeared on her daughter's face, she added, "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."  
Kayla breathed a sigh of relief and, having finished her cookie, started upstairs.  
"Oh, honey, before you go upstairs, your friend Lily called. Said she wanted you to call her back, about some kind of homework?"  
Kayla smacked her forehead and said, "Crap, I completely forgot!" With that she ran upstairs, stopping in Shelby's room to say hello and give advice on what color "Baby" should have for a new dress, before running into her room and shutting the door. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"Lily, I'm really sorry! I completely forgot that I was supposed to call you when I got home!"  
"It's OK," Lily said as Kayla finished her apology, "Don't worry about it. I just needed to know if you had an idea for that project we were assigned for Current Events class. We need to figure something out."  
"Yeah, we do. I was thinking, maybe a presentation that includes a song or something. That is, if you want to."  
"I think it's a great idea. So, do you have any specific song in mind?"  
Kayla was about to say no, when suddenly, a song on her radio caught her attention, and it gave her an idea.....  
  
Yeah yeah...oh...oh.... I've got it all, but I feel so deprived. I go up, I come down, and I'm emptier inside. Tell me what is this thing that I feel like I'm missing And why can't I let it go? There's gotta be more to life than chasing down every temporary high to satisfy me. Cuz the more that I'm trippin' up thinking there must be more to life. Well it's life, but I'm sure. There's gotta be more... than wanting more. I've got the time and I'm wasting it slowly Here in this moment, I'm halfway out the door. Onto the next thing, I'm searching for something that's missing. There's gotta be more to life than chasing down every temporary high to satisfy me. Cuz the more that I'm trippin' up thinking there must be more to life. Well it's life, but I'm sure. There's gotta be more... I'm wanting more. I'm always waiting on something other than this. Why am I feelin' like there's something I missed? There's gotta be more to life than chasing down every temporary high to satisfy me. Cuz the more that I'm trippin' up thinking there must be more to life. Well it's life, but I'm sure. There's gotta be more... than wanting more. There's gotta be more to life than chasing down every temporary high to satisfy me. Cuz the more that I'm trippin' up thinking there must be more to life. Well it's life, but I'm sure... (There's gotta be more) More...ooh yeah.. (More) More to (To) More to (Life) More to life...(yeah) (There' s got be more to life) More to More to life... (More) More to (To) More to (Life...yeah) There's gotta be more... (There's gotta be more to life)Oooh... More to life...  
  
When the song finished, Kayla said, "Lily, I think I have an idea."  
  
OK, I know this chapter was short, but it was mostly a filler chapter. There will be a couple of these. And because it's so short, I will give you a preview of the next chapter.  
  
Title: Whistle While You Work Summary: Lily and Kayla work on their project and get an unexpected visitor. Another RFR broadcast, and this time, they get an interesting caller.  
  
A/N: After the next chapter (chapter 10) time will skip forward a bit. Each chapter will take place a week or two after the last chapter, except for one that I am planning to have take place 3 months after an event in one of the chapters. There might even be a sequel! 


	10. Whistle While You Work

RUN TO ME  
  
Disclaimer: Do I really have to say this anymore? The Walt Disney Company owns "Whistle While You Work", I think. All I know is that I don't own it. I think that cricket dude owns it too...oh well.  
  
A/N: Sorry all for the really extended break. School started to get really heavy on the homework front, and I didn't have enough time after finishing homework to get online. (Darn my geometry teacher and his love of homework!) Anyways, stuff has slowed down now, so that means-you guessed it-more story! * waits for applause * * watches tumbleweed go by * ok then, so, on with the story!  
  
to reload-yeah, filler chapters don't really warrant full reviews. sorry about the song being a little hard to read, as I've said before, ff.net obviously has something against their stories having decent spacing, and no matter how hard I try (and I do try) it doesn't work. oh well, what can ya do? keep reviewing, if you still want to read it after the long, seemingly endless hiatus.  
  
to amber_1134-well, I'm glad that I could make your first fanfic reading experience a good one. ah, the ever-present spacing issue. it doesn't ever work for me for some reason, so I have come to the conclusion that either my computer or ff.net has some major problem with decently spacing my stories. hmmmm, In A Heartbeat............I know that show! Shawn Ashmore (so hot!) and Lauren Collins were on it! I used to love that show! * grumbles because Disney Channel doesn't show reruns * in regards to the song choice, thanks! I like that song a lot. Anyways, hope you keep reading and reviewing!  
  
to Infinity86-thank you, and I'm honored that you feel honored! aww, do I have to tone down the attitude? just kidding, I'll see what I can do about that, but at least I hooked her up with Travis! gotta give me half credit on that one! the wrap-up will be very interesting, believe me. I've already got some ideas for the sequel, just not a title yet......oh well, it'll come to me eventually! besides, I've still gotta finish this one! keep reading and reviewing!  
  
to The Truth Reaper-read the entire story before you review. learn some manners. no further comments at this time.  
  
WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK  
  
About a half hour after the phone call, Lily and Kayla were sitting up in Kayla's room, working on their Current Events project, titled- somewhat ironically-"Radio Free Roscoe: Love It Or Hate It?" The project title was Kayla's idea, mentioned to Lily before during the phone call, and their idea was simple.  
"OK, so this is what we're gonna do," Lily said as Kayla wrote everything down on a notepad, "We should go around school and do a survey of how many kids listen to RFR, and then break it down into how many like it and how many don't. That way, we can get our project done, and find out what the listeners think all at the same time!"  
Kayla laughed and said, "Very sneaky Lily. I love it. OK, so now we have our idea, and we have our plan, so the next logical question is: How should we set up the survey? Should we do a random surveying of 100 kids, or just a random surveying of a few kids, like 30 or 40?"  
Lily thought for a moment, and then said, "I think we should do it out of 100 kids, because then we'd be able to do clear percentages. Now, remind me, how did you get the idea for this project from a Stacey Orrico song?"  
Kayla shrugged her shoulders and said, "I dunno. My brain sometimes works in ways that even I don't understand. I guess it's because maybe, subconsciously, RFR is our way of filling in that need for more out of life." Kayla shook her head slightly, "That sounded a lot less psychological in my head." Lily laughed and said, "I think Travis and his psychology is starting to rub off on you." The girls laughed, then turned to Kayla's computer to start drawing up the survey questions and tally sheet. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Outside, a car drove up to Kayla's house and stopped in the driveway. The car's driver stalled for a minute and looked at the house, then got out of the car and walked up to the door. The stranger breathed in quickly, then knocked on the door. When Kayla's mom answered, the visitor said, "Shh. Don't tell Kayla it's me." Jessica Adams smiled, and the visitor was let inside and shown the way to Kayla's room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Kayla and Lily had just finished printing out the last of the papers needed for their project, when a knock was heard. "Come in," Kayla and Lily said together, not looking up. Kayla turned around to see who it was, and when she did, she screamed.  
"AHHHHHH!!!! Jordan!" Kayla screamed happily, as she ran to hug her friend, "When did you get here?" Jordan grinned, happy that her surprise worked, and said, "Literally a few seconds ago. Your mom let me in." Jordan then noticed Lily, and introduced herself, saying, "Hi, I'm Jordan Rogers. You must be Lily Randall. Kayla's told me a lot about you and the others." Lily smiled and extended her hand, which Jordan shook with a smile. Lily said, "I hope Kayla hasn't said anything bad about any of us, or else we'll have to do something about it." Jordan laughed and said, "No, all good things, especially about your guitar playing. I hear you're pretty good at it." Lily was about to answer Jordan when Kayla's phone rang. Kayla shrugged her shoulders and picked up the phone.  
"Hello?"  
"Kayla? You there?"  
Kayla groaned and said, "No Ray, I'm not here. Actually, this isn't even me, this is Lily doing a very convincing imitation." She then put her hand over the receiver and mouthed "Ray" to Lily and Jordan.  
"Well, I just called to see if you had any ideas for the Current Events project."  
"Yes, Lily and I do, and no, we're not telling you."  
"Damn," swore Ray, "There goes me and Robbie's chance at an A. Well, thanks anyways."  
Kayla laughed and said, "No problem Ray. I'm sure you and Robbie will be able to come up with something." Ray grumbled something that sounded vaguely like, "Yeah, right, that'll happen," then hung up.  
Kayla turned to Jordan and Lily and said, "Well, since it's almost 10:00 at night, I guess we should consider turning this into a sleepover. Lily, you allowed to stay?" Lily smiled and said, "Yep. Mom said that if work on this project went anytime over 9:45, that I'm staying whether I want to or not!" Lily then produced the sleeping bag and PJs that she had packed in her bag, to the extreme amusement of Kayla and Jordan. Kayla looked at Jordan, intending to ask the same question, but stopped when Jordan grinned and pulled from behind her back a suitcase and a sleeping bag too, the production of which sent all three girls into a fit of laughter and proved to Lily Kayla's statement that Jordan was always prepared, no matter what. Later, Kayla's mother came upstairs to tell the girls that Jordan's mom had called and said that Jordan was staying for a few days, and not to worry about school, that Jordan already had the assignments from her school already in her suitcase. The girls stayed up till almost 2 in the morning that night, talking and watching movies. (A/N: We are now going to skip to the afternoon, at RFR time) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"I'm Question Mark and I'm wondering: Why is it that whenever teachers correct us, it's ok, but when we try to tell them if something's wrong, we get slapped with detention?"  
"Maybe it's because the teachers don't want to look like idiots in front of their students."  
"Sodapop makes an excellent point."  
"Thanks Shady," said Kayla, "What do you think of all this?" The DJs of RFR were just starting their after-school broadcast, debating a topic which one of them-Ray and Lily both, but primarily Ray-had first-hand experience in.  
"I don't think it's right that teachers get to correct us, but when we have a legitimate point and we point it out, that we get in trouble," Lily answered, "What about you Pronto?"  
"Two words: It sucks," Ray said. "I mean, teachers get to tell us when we're wrong all the time, why shouldn't we have the same privilege?"  
"Listeners, I would like to take a moment to announce that at exactly 4:01 p.m., our very own DJ Pronto used a big word correctly in a sentence," said Robbie. Kayla and Lily laughed, as did Travis, who had been silently listening as he usually did.  
"Hahaha, very funny Question Mark," said Ray, "I know how to use plenty of big words correctly."  
"Yeah," Lily said, "For instance, he just used the word 'question' correctly."  
Kayla and Robbie sniggered as Ray threw a dirty look Lily's way. "I think it's time to play some music," Ray said, "And I think I have the perfect song for this moment and topic."  
"And after the song, we'll be taking calls on today's topic," said Robbie.  
"So here's 'The Wall,' by Pink Floyd," Ray said. Travis cued the music, and the studio was filled with the sounds of Pink Floyd and laughter at Ray's dancing-well, attempt at dancing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"And that's why we think that you guys are right and the teachers are wrong," said Ed and Ted. Lily shook Ray awake, and Kayla's head raised off the desk as Robbie said, "Thanks Ed and Ted for your always, ahem, interesting calls."  
Travis held up the chalkboard with the name "DW" on it. "DW you're on RFR," Robbie said, "What's your opinion on this?"  
"This is Daniel Waller, principal of Henry Roscoe High," the voice said. Upon hearing the identity of their caller, the 5 DJs reacted in semi- different ways. Travis raised his eyebrows in surprise, Lily and Kayla's jaws dropped open, and Ray nearly choked on the Snickers bar he was eating between calls. Robbie, however, attempted to stay calm and answered, "Well, listeners, let it never be said that Radio Free Roscoe isn't full of surprises! So Principal Waller, what do you think of the topic at hand today?"  
"I believe that students have no right to contradict their superiors, just as adults have no right to contradict their employers. The students of Henry Roscoe High have, of late, forgotten that it is their place to learn what their teachers have to teach them, and that it is not their place to try and teach the teachers something that is obviously and blatantly wrong." At this, Travis had to resist the urge to snort into his microphone. He had been in a situation with Principal Waller before involving a disagreement over the events of the Boxer Rebellion, an incident that ended with Waller conceding a small amount of defeat. It was obvious from this statement that Waller had gained a case of selective amnesia since the incident had occurred. Waller continued, "People who encourage their fellow students to disrespect their teachers and the students who do disrespect their teachers in this manner deserve punishment, and at my school, punishment will be given. Radio stations like this do nothing more than encourage the students of Henry Roscoe High School to misbehave, defy authority, and disrespect their elders. That is all," and with that, Waller hung up.  
"Wow," said Kayla, "That was interesting. But I have a question for you Principal Waller, if you are still listening that is: You said that we encourage people to disrespect their elders. Do you include yourself in this category?" Kayla's fellow DJs sniggered at this comment, made to sound so innocent but obviously meaning otherwise.  
"I believe that by the use of the word 'elders,' Principal Waller meant our parents and teachers and educators in general," Travis said, in his usual sudden burst of wisdom, "I don't think he meant that he himself was 'elder' in the 'old person' sense of the word, but in the 'authority figure' sense of the word."  
"Or maybe he just wanted to say something to stick it to us," Ray said. The other DJs laughed at this observation, obviously more correct than the explanation Travis gave. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"Well, that was one of the more interesting shows we've had here at Radio Free Roscoe," Robbie said as he put his headphones down on the table after the broadcast had ended for the day. The meaning of Waller's phone call had sparked a debate not only among the 5 DJs, but among the callers as well, and had taken over the majority of their airtime, with temporary forced breaks for music.  
"Does it get that interesting often?" Kayla asked.  
"Not this interesting," Travis replied, "But we did have an on-air auction that got pretty weird once. You wondered about that My Pretty Pony doll Ray has on the bookshelf in his room? That's where it came from."  
Kayla laughed, remembering Ray's feeble attempts at trying to pass it off as a toy left at his home by his cousin that afternoon, the first time that Kayla had gone over to his house with the others. Ray blushed and mumbled something incoherent as Robbie, Lily, Travis, and Kayla laughed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"So Kayla," Lily said as the group left the warehouse/station, "You and Jordan coming to Open Mic Night tonight at Mickey's?"  
"Jordan?" Travis asked with a raise of his eyebrow, "This wouldn't be the Jordan that is currently a DJ of your pre-RFR radio station?"  
"The very same," Kayla said with a laugh, "She drove in last night, and she's staying for a few days. She wanted to meet you guys, so I figured that when Lily invited us to Open Mic Night last night, it would be the perfect opportunity for you all to meet."  
"Fine with us," Robbie, Ray, and Travis said together.  
"So it's settled then," Lily said with a grin, "You and Jordan meet the boys at Mickey's at 8:00. I'll already be inside doing a final run- through. Get a table or a booth or a stool or whatever's available. And Ray?" The boy looked up and said, "Yes?"  
"Behave yourself! I don't want to hear that you've been being rude, insulting, or just plain stupid to one of Kayla's oldest friends."  
"You better listen to her Ray," Kayla said, "Lily gave me license to torture you if you do anything to Jordan."  
"Me? Rude, Insulting, Stupid?" Ray asked with mock innocence, "Never! OK, I'll give you the stupid part, but the rude and insulting thing is way out of line."  
While the others laughed at Ray's stupidity, Lily punched him in the arm. The 5 friends then went home, to prepare for the meeting and Lily's debut.  
  
First chapter in a looooooooooong time, I know, but I hope that I can make up for it with the next few chapters! And for anyone who read the author's note at the end of chapter 9, I have changed my plan, and the time jump will take place in a few chapters, maybe chapter 12 or 13. I have a plan for this story to only be about 20 chapters long, maybe less, and then have a sequel, or possibly make this the first story in a trilogy. It's all up in the air right now. Anyways, here's a preview of the next chapter, the first part in a three-parter.  
  
Title: If I Sing A Song (Part 1) Summary: Kayla introduces Jordan to the gang. Will sparks fly between Jordan and a certain single RFR DJ? Lily performs one of her songs for the first time, live at Mickey's Discs. What will be the public's reaction? 


	11. If I Sing A Song Part One

RUN TO ME  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapters 1-10. The title is taken from the lyrics of the song "Sing Along," which is owned by The Blue Man Group and Dave Matthews. I wrote the song "Uncommon Feeling," so please; if you're going to use it, give me credit for it. I worked hard on it.  
  
to Infinity86- yep. you have guessed correctly, there will be another hookup, and I promise you, it will be very interesting. keep reading, for there will be much more to come very, very soon!  
  
to dizzychick- well thanks! it's reviews like this one and the ones I receive from my "regulars" that make writing this story worthwhile. keep on reading and enjoying! you won't want to miss what happens next!  
  
to msshadylane- formatting huh? I think I can fix that! I'm getting better at it, I think, but there's always room for improvement! keep reading and reviewing and enjoying, and stick around for more to come!  
  
IF I SING A SONG (PART ONE)  
  
That night, after getting ready for what seemed like the entire afternoon-but what really was only about an hour, two tops-Kayla and Jordan made their way to Mickey's for Open Mic Night. When they reached Mickey's, they found Travis, Robbie, and Ray waiting outside in the middle of what appeared to be a pretty large crowd. Ray was standing on the tips of his toes, Robbie was checking his watch, and Travis was looking around, leading Kayla to the conclusion that they were being looked for. The next time Travis turned their way, Kayla waved.  
Travis spotted Kayla waving and smiled. "They're here," he said.  
"Where?" asked Ray, turning around on his tiptoes and falling over with a crash.  
"Over there," Travis said, and he pointed in the direction of the girls, as Robbie tried to help Ray to his feet and keep the laughter at said fallen-over-boy to a dull roar. Travis did what they had agreed to do earlier, and waved the girls over as soon as he made sure Kayla could still see him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Kayla saw Travis waving to her and, nodding to Jordan to follow her, began to walk over to them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"We're here!" Kayla said as she and Jordan reached the boys, "I would like you all to meet my best, oldest, and most insane friend, Jordan Rogers."  
Ray and Travis nodded hello, but Robbie didn't speak. Here in front of him was-in his opinion-the prettiest girl he had ever seen in his life. She was about half an inch taller than Kayla, with brown hair and sparkling brown eyes. But that wasn't what really got Robbie about Jordan Elizabeth Rogers-her full name, as he was to soon find out-oh no. It was the fact that even in her blue jeans and faded Jimmy Hendrix T-shirt, she looked like a true beauty.  
"Um, hi," he said when he finally regained the ability to speak, "I'm Robbie McGrath." Not knowing what else to do, he extended his hand for Jordan to shake.  
Jordan stared at his hand for a second, then smiled and shook it, saying, "Jordan Rogers."  
"Jordan Elizabeth Rogers," Kayla said with a slight laugh, "But no one really calls her that..."  
"Unless I'm in trouble," finished Jordan.  
The group laughed and then went inside to get their seats so they could see Lily perform. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"Ladies and Gentlemen-if you really believe you deserve to be called ladies and gentlemen. This is the second time this young lady has graced the stage at Mickey's with her presence. Hopefully, she'll actually sing this time. So, keep your grubby little hands off my merchandise, and please welcome-Lily Randall!"  
Kayla, Jordan, Travis, Robbie, and Ray all clapped loudly as Mickey left the stage and Lily entered the spotlight from her place backstage; holding her guitar and-this time-ready to perform. She adjusted the microphone and then said:  
"Thank you for the, uh, interesting introduction Mickey. Well, many of you may remember the last time I was here at Open Mic Night, and I can promise you that this time, you will actually hear me sing. The song I will be performing tonight is one I wrote myself, and it is called 'Uncommon Feeling'. I hope you enjoy it."  
Lily then put her guitar strap around her shoulder and, taking a deep breath, began to play the song and sing her song.  
  
{How do you tell when you've got a feeling}  
{That you've never known before?}  
{Is it for real or just a dream?}  
{How can you be sure?}  
{Of a life-changing emotion that flows through your veins}  
{And changes the way you see things everyday}  
{Is it something you wish for every night in your dreams}  
{Or a pain that won't go away?}  
{Whatever it is, it will change your life}  
{And you can't understand why you don't feel right}  
{And the way that you see things will be turned upside down}  
{The life that you knew will be turned around}  
{This uncommon feeling that you have in your heart}  
{Could give your life a brand new start to feel}  
{The way you were meant to feel}  
{The way life was meant to be}  
{For you and for me}  
  
Lily finished the song and took a bow as the entire room erupted in thunderous applause. Cheers of "Lily! Lily!" could be heard throughout the store as Lily's friends rose-along with the rest of the store-to give her a standing ovation that was long overdue. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"That...was...AWESOME!" Kayla said as the group of friends left Mickey's together, "You kicked serious ass Lily."  
"Best song yet," Travis said.  
"Definitely a hit," Robbie said, "Was it written for anyone in particular?"  
Lily turned her head slightly to look at Ray, then blushed and said:  
"Nope! No one special."  
"Yeah, sure," said Jordan, calling Lily's bluff instantly, "You wrote it for Ray, didn't you?"  
Lily was taken aback at how easily Jordan had called the bluff, and answered, "I have no idea what you're talking about."  
But they all knew that Lily wasn't telling the truth, mostly because they saw the way her and Ray were being all lovey-dovey when they were coming out of Mickey's; but partly because Lily had told Kayla that she had, indeed, written the song for Ray.  
"So," Kayla said as they paused near a small restaurant, "Anyone want to come back to my house for some food? My mom said that she'd be willing to feed us."  
"What about your dad?" Travis asked, "What did he say about all of us invading your house and eating your food?"  
Kayla laughed and said, "Dad doesn't know about it. He's in Vermont trying to close a major merger between these two companies. It's been going on for a while, and they've finally agreed on the terms, so Dad had to fly out to close the deal."  
"Your dad's a lawyer?" Robbie asked, a little surprised because Kayla never mentioned what her dad did for work.  
"Yeah," Kayla replied nonchalantly, "He's a pretty good one too. He mostly does mergers and stuff like that for companies and small businesses and such. Nothing like defense and prosecution stuff."  
"So, all in favor of going to Kayla's house for celebratory snackage?" Ray said.  
"Aye"  
"Aye"  
"Aye"  
"Aye"  
"Kayla, you're not allowed to vote! We're talking about going to your house, so of course you're going to vote in favor of it!" Robbie said.  
"Usually in a group vote, the one who puts forth the motion is permitted to vote for or against the motion," Kayla countered.  
Robbie looked at the others and asked, "Any of you get that? 'Cause I didn't."  
"In Layman's terms," Travis said, "it means she's allowed to vote."  
"Oh."  
"So I guess we're all heading over to my house then," said Kayla, "We better hurry up and get there, or else Shelby and her friends are gonna eat it all!"  
With that, the kids began running towards Kayla's house, determined not to let their food get eaten by a group of 3-year-olds.  
  
OK, that's the first part in a 3-part chapter series. The time jump will occur in the chapter after the end of this 3-parter, and it will be a 3- month time jump. Just giving you all a heads-up on what's gonna happen.  
  
Title: Celebration (Part Two) Summary: Party at Kayla's! The gang celebrates Lily's triumphant stage debut. 


End file.
